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CAMDEN —Hospitals
are increasingly facing cuts in funding for charity care, leaving a void in
adequate health care for underserved communities in the United States.

As a result, more
nurses will be required to meet the increasing health care demands of under
insured and uninsured individuals.

Having access to health care services and receiving
culturally appropriate health promotion education are two issues of vital
importance to the people of underserved communities. Students from the Rutgers
School of Nursing–Camden are doing their part to reach out to that population
and lead efforts to help under and uninsured
individuals obtain the care they need.

“Our students are taught to reflect on the
needs of the community,” says Patricia Suplee, an assistant professor of
nursing at Rutgers–Camden. “Teaching students about the importance of public
health and the role of the nurse in community settings is vital because we are
going to see fewer patients in hospitals, forcing nurses to focus more on
community-based programs.”

Rutgers–Camden
has started civic engagement programs that allow its nursing students the
opportunity to provide health care to members of the Camden community.

“We teach our
students to be aware of the continuum of nursing care and to broaden their view
that nursing is not limited to the hospital setting,” says Bonnie
Jerome-D’Emilia, an assistant professor of nursing. “In fact, in a community
like Camden, with a large uninsured population, more preventive services are
needed.”

Suplee says
health fairs held at local churches are an effective method of bringing
preventive care services and education to the community. Last year,
Rutgers–Camden nursing students participated in a health fair focusing on
women’s health needs at St. Anthony of Padua Church in the Cramer Hill section
of Camden.

The students provided flu shots, took blood pressure, and gave presentations
to raise awareness about cervical cancer and HPV screening, diabetes, menopause,
ovarian and uterine cancer, sexually transmitted infections, and information
about how to access health care.

“These civic engagement experiences are fulfilling,”
says Bonvincent Hernandez, a senior nursing major from Lindenwold. “They are
significant programs because they encourage students to go above and beyond
their classroom work and serve as teachers to members of the community who are
seeking information about healthcare while reinforcing clinical skills.”

This year,
the students will plan and participate in a fair to be held at the Kaighn
Avenue Baptist Church in the Bergen Square neighborhood of Camden on Dec. 8.

“By providing this service my fellow students and I, are
able to utilize our newly-found skills and apply them to a population that
severely needs them,” says Christopher Taylor, a senior nursing major from
Philadelphia.

By planning and participating in community
outreach, Rutgers–Camden nursing students are learning how to reach
out to people in neighborhoods to provide culturally sensitive care and
also become better equipped to care for diverse populations after graduation.

“Many of our students are entering our
pre-liscensure nursing program knowing they will continue their education to
the masters or doctorate level which will enable them to practice as primary
care providers,” Suplee says. “Our new curriculum will prepare well-educated
nurses who will have a greater understanding of rapidly changing health care
environments. Our graduates are going to be the next nursing leaders who will tackle
the health-related challenges of the 21st century.”

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